Friars Who Run With Wolves
by Seadragon68
Summary: Sequal to Carl & the Big Bad Wolf. Its 6 months later and Carl walks out, feeling their relationship is in a rut. Its up to Van Helsing to convince him that romance is not dead...
1. Carl Has Had Enough

_**This is a sequal to Carl and the Big Bad Wolf. Definately helps to have read this but I have no illusions that my plots are so complicated that they can't be followed by anyone with a mildly functioning brain....**_

It had been 6 months since the Wolf first made its re-appearance. There had been some readjustments needed once they arrived back at the Vatican but things seemed to be settling down. It had been a while since Van Helsing had growled at anyone for approaching too close to Carl and Father Olaf had gotten over his tiff over being bitten. Really though, he should never have grabbed Carl like that. He deserved the bite and it wasn't like it had done any real damage…

Van Helsing's new alter ego also had the added bonus of getting Cardinal Jinette to leave them alone. Carl wasn't exactly sure what it was about the man that seemed to set the Wolf on edge but any extended time in the Cardinal's presence and Van Helsing would start growling softly and eyeing the man's throat. Kept briefings down to a minimum which was a big plus in Carl's book.

It also meant that very few questions were asked as to precisely what relationship existed between Carl and Van Helsing. It was clear that Carl seemed to have a "calming" effect on the Wolf aspect of Van Helsing and since Van Helsing was now even more useful then ever, it seemed a small price to pay. This occasionally bothered Carl since it meant that the Order had literally thrown him to the wolf but the situation did have its benefits.

Carl was currently puttering about their new quarters. Since Van Helsing's "transformation" the Order had moved them to larger quarters away from the rest of the living spaces. This kept any noises coming from their rooms from disturbing the other members and allowed everyone to maintain the happy illusions that let them sleep soundly at night. Everyone was happy.

Well, not everyone. Carl was actually not entirely happy. He had known that being with Van Helsing meant being with the Wolf and that this would require some understanding on his part. But really, he did think that Van Helsing indulged the Wolf just a bit. When they first got back to the Vatican, Carl had tried to be patient. He knew that it was hard for the Wolf to understand how humans interacted. And when the Wolf felt overwhelmed, it wanted its mate, regardless of what Carl might have been in the middle of. This had led to some very awkward moments in the lab and some careful negotiation with the Wolf. But they had made progress and it was rare that he heard that growling demand "Carl… NOW" that generally meant the Wolf had had enough and Carl thought that they could start establishing a more normal relationship.

However, after 6 months they were no closer to achieving that then they were that night at the campfire. Van Helsing may be more in control most of the time but evenings were still very much "pounce on Carl". And Carl was growing a little tired of it. He wanted romance, damn it! He wanted a candlelit dinner with flowers and maybe some snuggling afterwards. Last but not least, he wanted seduction.

He had tried bringing this up with Van Helsing but it never seemed to register with him. Carl secretly suspected that the Hunter liked things the way they were which is why he indulged the Wolf so much. Really why was a simple romantic gesture so difficult for the man?

When Van Helsing joined him in their rooms later that night, he found an irate friar pacing about. Van Helsing sighed and tried to take Carl in his arms but Carl was not having it. "Damn it, Van Helsing, where have you been?" Van Helsing just shrugged and said, "the Wolf was feeling a bit closed in so I went for a ride outside the City."

Carl felt his blood pressure rise. "The wolf was feeling closed in. Lovely. So is the wolf feeling better now?" He glared at Van Helsing, his arms folded across his chest. "Yes, though he's remembering it's been a while since he's been with his mate…" Van Helsing slid towards the Friar thinking to pre-empt Carl's rant by distracting him with sex. However this ploy was definitely not going to work tonight.

"Oh no. Down boy" Carl snapped, holding his arms out to block the Hunter's progress. Van Helsing grew angry in turn. "Don't treat me like a dog. I'm not a dog" "Maybe not but you have all the self-restraint of one. I'm not interested in sex right now. In fact, it's the farthest thing from my mind." Van Helsing retreated sulkily and said "Why not? You're my mate, we're suppose to have sex".

It took everything Carl had not to punch the Hunter. "Is that it? Is that all this relationship is for you? A convenient source of sex???" He was shaking he was so angry. Van Helsing looked startled. "Of course its not all you mean to me Carl. Why would you think that?"

"Oh, I don't know… maybe because that's all we ever do together? When was the last time we really talked?" The Hunter looked extremely uncomfortable and this only fueled Carl's rant. "OK, how about I make it easier. How about the last time we spent more then 5 minutes together that didn't involve sex? Do you even remember what cuddling is like?" "Hey, we cuddle. We cuddle ever night" Van Helsing tried to rally and defend himself. "Curling up with me post-sex and falling immediately asleep does not count as cuddling Van Helsing." Carl was at the end of his patience. "I don't want to do this anymore. I'm going to sleep in one of the guest quarters. If and when you think you might want to try making this a real relationship, let me know." And with that, he stormed out of their quarters.

Van Helsing stood there stunned. Carl had just left him. The Wolf was all for hunting Carl down and dragging him back but Van Helsing forced him down. Carl had a point; he had rather let their relationship become a bit one tracked. So how to fix this?

**Nikoru Sanzo - I dedicate this chapter to you with a big hug for being such an all around fun person. And I'm still holding out for more information about the chicken...**


	2. Panic Spreads and Van Helsing Gets Roman...

Word had spread quickly throughout the Lab that Carl had left Van Helsing. This had left everyone particularly nervous, as now there was no one to keep Van Helsing's other side in check. Whispered conferences were held in dark corners as to what to do next. Cardinal Jinette tried to order Carl back to Van Helsing and was stunned when Carl stubbornly refused. "I'll go back when he starts treating me like his partner rather then his personal love slave" That last bit rather disturbed Jinette (who had brought denial to a whole new level) and so he quickly dropped the subject. He instead demanded that the other members of the Order to "talk some sense" into Carl. But all attempts (and some shameless pleading in one or two cases) to get Carl to reconsider failed miserably. Carl was settling for nothing less then a first class romantic gesture from Van Helsing.

Meanwhile, Van Helsing was agonizing over what to do. He missed Carl terribly and spent his nights curled up with Carl's pillow which at least smelled of his absent lover. He knew that he had really screwed up with Carl but was at a loss for what to do next. If he didn't do this right, he could kiss goodbye any chance of saving their relationship. And that was an unacceptable situation to him and the Wolf.

He had tried visiting Carl in the Lab but that had been a dismal failure. The Wolf – at seeing his mate for the first time since the breakup – got terribly overexcited and tried to jump on him. Carl firmly smacked him down and when the Wolf whined, told him to stop it and, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck, tossed him out of the Lab. After that, Van Helsing tried to corner him in the hallway, shamelessly pleading for a second chance. This had even less of an affect on the Friar who told him that unless Van Helsing could make him believe that their relationship was more then just "animal husbandry" that he should just bugger off.

The situation was looking dire and everyone was starting to get seriously worried. Van Helsing's mood was deteriorating rapidly and everyone knew it was just a matter of time before he started biting. He had already begun growling again and Father Olaf in particular had gotten some rather nasty looks. It was time for drastic measures.

A committee was formed to deal with the situation. Dubbed Operation Amore, its purpose was to help Van Helsing win back Carl. The committee consisted of monks and other Order members from as many cultures as possible. The idea was that surely between all of them, they could coach Van Helsing on how to be the romantic man of Carl's dreams – at least for one night.

In the library, page after page of romantic writing was poured over with copious notes being taken. Poetry was especially noted as love poems were a time honored way of winning someone's affections. Once studied, a plan of attack was formulated. Now they just had to approach Van Helsing…

It was an extremely nervous bunch of religious men who cornered Van Helsing in the gardens. The Hunter looked extremely edgy and eyed all of them with undisguised hostility. More then a few of them gulped and debated the wisdom of what they were doing. Still, if they didn't help the Hunter, then he was never going to get back with Carl and that was too frightening a thought to contemplate. They huddled among themselves and finally pushed Father Michael forward as spokesman claiming that as a Franciscan he had a natural affinity with animals. Father Michael was less then happy about this but seeing he had no choice walked slowly forward. He cleared his throat nervously and the Hunter glared at him. "What do you want?" Growled Van Helsing. "Ah… we're here to help you" "Help me with what?" snarled Van Helsing. "I'm not interested in religious guidance". Father Michael gulped but bravely soldiered on. "Actually, we're here to help you win back Carl." Seeing the rather ugly look that entered the Hunter's eyes at the sound of his beloved's name, Father Michael quickly spilled the rest. "We're here to help you convince Carl that you think of him as more then just a pretty face… or whatever it is that you think of him. Actually, I really don't want to know what you think of him… In fact I'm really quite positive I don't want to know…" He received a sharp poke in the back from another monk and he pulled himself back together. "Right. Anyway, we've done lots of research and we can help you." The other monks all nodded reassuringly at the Hunter who looked at them with confusion and just a little suspicion.

"Why help me? I would think you would be on Carl's side – him being a fellow monk and all." "Yeah well, he's just a friar, isn't he?" muttered one monk This earned the speaker a particularly nasty look and another monk quickly dived in to save the situation before it turned ugly. "Actually we think that you two are meant to be together. Soul mates really. Wouldn't you agree with me?" The monk looked around at his fellow Order members who quickly nodded and murmured agreeing statements. This only slightly mollified the Hunter but realizing that he had no ideas of his own, decided to see what these guys could come up with. They were Carl's peers so maybe they had insights into things that Van Helsing did not. Relieved the committee began to outline all that they had come up with.

**Will Van Helsing be able to win Carl back? Or is he destined to stay in the doghouse??? Stay tuned for more**


	3. Its Date Night oh the horrors!

**_Well, its finally Date Night... can our intrepid Hunter win back Carl or is he destined to be a lone wolf???_**

Van Helsing was not so sure about all of this. The monks had assured him that their research was sound and that if he followed the plan, everything would be fine but he still had some serious doubts. For starters, he was following a plan created by celibate males who hadn't been outside of their lab in years. Research is all well and good but some of this seemed… well, sissy. However, when he tried to object, he got lectured about the importance of what he was doing and how he had to put aside his pride for the sake of the team. That last bit hadn't impressed him and he was about to tell them what to do with their plan when Brother Thomas pointed out to him that he'd be spending a lot of cold and lonely nights if he didn't make this work and that stopped the complaining dead.

Once the plan had been agreed upon, everyone got rather caught up in making it happen. At first Cardinal Jinette protested vehemently about the diversion of resources but when it was pointed out to him that it was get Van Helsing back with Carl or deal with an unhappily single Wolf/Hunter, Jinette suddenly seemed to get into the spirit of things. He even donated a bottle of wine from his private stash to help matters along.

A carefully worded invitation had been sent to Carl in the Lab and been accepted and now Van Helsing was nervously awaiting his arrival. Their quarters had been transformed – into what the monks had assured him was the height of romantic settings. He thought the flowers seemed a bit overdone but after having dozens of books, poems and paintings shoved in his face showing how flowers played a KEY role in romance, he decided to let it go. He did think that perhaps they should have picked just one type of flower but after a near fistfight had cropped up over it (apparently there wasn't a consensus on what flower was the most romantic) they had decided to hedge their bets and go with a little bit of everything. The smell was just a little overwhelming but Van Helsing was willing to endure some discomfort to fix things. The Wolf wasn't very happy but was trying to behave since it knew it was the only way to get Carl back.

Pacing around the room he tried to remember all the things the monks had coached him on. Muttering bits of poetry and tips like "remember to ask how his day went… and look like you are listening" he awaited Carl's arrival. He tried not to fiddle with the collar of his shirt – another "improvement" the monks had insisted on. He looked at the clock for the 5th time in as many minutes. "Where is he?" he grumbled.

Carl meanwhile was nervously fiddling with something in his lab. He was trying to distract himself from his upcoming "date" with Van Helsing. Ever since the invitation had come, he had been unable to concentrate. It didn't help that everyone in the lab had been acting strange for days. They had been coming and going on strange errands and there had been a lot of whispering and conferring with each other. They had also been giving Carl a lot of speculative looks. That last part wasn't too unusual as everyone was always wondering if Carl was about to blow something up but the rest had left him feeling a bit on edge. And he had to confess he was a little nervous about what Van Helsing had planned. He picked up the gear works again and attempted to fit them together. However he was just too distracted and when he noticed that a group of monks were watching him and whispering, he had finally decided he had taken enough. "What are you looking at?" he barked and threw down the gears. The monks hastily scattered and pretended to go back to work but Carl knew it was only a matter of time before they started again. Clearly everyone knew that he had a date tonight. He heaved a sigh and decided to get out of there. It wasn't like he was getting anything done anyway.

Carl headed up to their rooms feeling rather nervous. While they were apart, it was easy to maintain his self-righteous state but now that he was to have dinner with the man, he was wondering if he could hold to his stance. He stood outside the door for a moment and nervously brushed down his hair. Maybe he should have changed into something else… Carl shook his head. Like what? He didn't own any other clothes. Steeling himself for whatever lay ahead, he raised his hand and knocked. He immediately felt foolish – he lived here, he didn't have to knock. However the door sprang open almost immediately and Carl jumped back, startled. Van Helsing stood in the doorway looking rather tense. "Where the hell have you been?" he said peevishly "I was beginning to think you weren't coming" Carl felt vaguely guilty. "Sorry, I was just finishing something up in the lab" "You were working???" Van Helsing almost snapped. Carl, feeling a bit attacked said "Yes, Van Helsing. I was working. I have a job, remember?" Van Helsing, suddenly remember that he was suppose to be winning his way back into Carl's good graces said "Yes, well, I'm glad to hear you are keeping busy" and with that grabbed Carl by the arm and dragged him into the room.

Carl looked around in a sort of fascinated horror. The room looked like the kind of setting one might find in a tacky bordello. There were flowers of every color and type stuffed in any kind of vase or jar that had been available. Carl even recognized a beaker from the lab. Where there weren't flowers there were candles and the whole thing had been topped off with large amounts of red satin. The overall effect was beginning to make Carl's eyes water. Van Helsing, seeing that the room was not quite having the planned effect, quickly moved on to Phase Two of the night.

"Why don't you sit down. I'll get you a glass of wine" he said, grabbing the bottle and hastily pouring a glass. He practically sloshed it on himself as he shoved it at Carl. Carl looking slightly startled at Van Helsing's abrupt movements, took the glass from him and took a quick sip. He was feeling a bit on edge with Van Helsing acting like a cat in a roomful of rocking chairs. He just wasn't sure what to expect next.

Van Helsing poured a glass of wine for himself and quickly downed it. This was much harder then he thought. Carl clearly wasn't impressed with the "ambiance" as one monk had dubbed it and Van Helsing was going to have to work hard to make up the lost ground. He cast his mind for a suitable topic of conversation but nothing was coming to him. He nervously ran his fingers through his hair and smiled weakly at Carl. Carl merely looked back at him like a small animal facing a predetor. The Wolf perked up for a moment at that thought and Van Helsing had to sharply order him back. "No pouncing. That's what got us in trouble in the first place" The Wolf sulked but retreated.

Carl watched the various emotions cross Van Helsing's face and began to wonder if maybe all of this was a bad idea. Van Helsing looked ready to explode and Carl began to look for the exit. This was not missed by the Hunter who realized that he'd best do something before Carl bolted, never to be seen again.

Clearing his throat nervously he began. "So, how is everything in the lab? Invented anything new?" Carl looked flabbergasted. Van Helsing wanted to talk about work? Had a new mission come up? "Why, has something happened I should know about" Carl said. "No, there's nothing new. I was just wondering about your work. What you do and all…" Carl looked really confused now. "But you know about my work. You use my work all the time. What's to talk about?"

Van Helsing was beginning to sweat. The monks had said to talk about Carl's work but clearly Carl had nothing to say. Now what? He poured himself another glass of wine and gulped it down. When all this was over, he was going to kill those guys. Now what should he do?

Fortunately for Van Helsing, he was saved by a knock at the door. "Ah" he said in a relieved tone "That would be dinner" and practically ran for the door. Carl watched all of this with a slightly wary expression. He had never seen the Hunter like this before. It was like watching a stranger in Van Helsing's body. Van Helsing wretched open the door like a drowning man grabbing for a life preserver. Brother Ben, who had been tapped to make dinner for the couple gasped and almost dropped the large tray he was carrying. Van Helsing gestured him in madly "Thanks for getting here so soon. Why don't you come in and serve everything right away" Van Helsing was attempting to smile and look like everything was under control but instead came across like a man about to come unglued. Brother Ben, terrified that the evening would fail, quickly set about serving the food. He smiled somewhat unconvincingly at Carl and said "What a lovely room. Really, very romantic." Carl looked at Brother Ben like he had 2 heads. He thought this was romantic? It was like be trapped in a funeral parlor.

Van Helsing was breathing hard and trying not to fidget with the draperies. The monk who had put them up and been very specific about leaving them alone. He tried to smile at Carl but had to look away when he saw slightly uneasy look on Carl's face. When Brother Ben had finished putting everything out, Van Helsing grabbed his arm and said "Well thanks again. I'll just see you out" Brother Ben barely had time to give one last smile at Carl before he was shoved roughly out into the hall. Van Helsing slammed the door shut and leaned back against it. Pasting another smile on his face he said "Alone at last" Carl looked slightly alarmed at this and Van Helsing's smile slipped. He was really blowing this.

Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and prepared to dive back into the fray. He was Van Helsing, the Order's Top Hunter. He could handle a romantic dinner. He walked back and joined Carl at the table. Pouring himself his third glass of wine, he looked across the table at Carl and said "I'd like to propose a toast." Carl raised his eyebrows at this but obediently picked up his glass. Van Helsing looked at Carl and realized he didn't know what to say. He bit his lip and ran over various bits of poetry in his head but none of them seemed right somehow. Finally, realizing that Carl was looking at him expectantly he said "To us" and drained his glass. Carl just looked at him for a moment then sighed and drank his own glass. Trying to recover, Van Helsing said "So, let's eat" and began to quickly pile food on a plate for Carl. Carl watched him with growing alarm and finally said "Van Helsing, you don't really expect me to eat all of that, do you?" Looking down at the plate, Van Helsing realized he had gone a little overboard. He flushed a deep red. "Ah, no. Of course not" He started to remove some of the food but Carl just grabbed his wrist and said "its fine" and took the plate from him. Van Helsing filled his own plate even though food was the last thing he wanted. But it filled time and at this point, that was a good thing. This evening was turning out to be a total disaster and he wasn't sure how to fix it.

Carl starting eating mostly to cover up the fact that he was thinking hard. It was clear that Van Helsing was trying to give Carl what he asked for but it was equally clear that the effort was going to drive the man over the edge. Watching Van Helsing from under his lashes, it was clear that it was taking all the man's willpower to remain sitting at the table. Carl looked around the room and had to smile. It really was atrocious but clearly a lot of time and effort had gone into it. The flowers though were starting to get to him and he could feel his eyes beginning to itch. But all in all, it really was rather sweet.

Van Helsing, lost in his own thoughts failed to notice the tide was turning in his favor. He was convinced that unless he did something truly romantic and fast, Carl would walk out the door and this time never come back. Running through all the things the monks had told him, he seized upon one thing. He leapt out of his chair, startling Carl half to death, and grabbed a flower from one of the vases. Practically throwing himself to his knees by Carl's chair he thrust the flower at Carl and gave him what he hoped was a charming smile.

Unfortunately for Van Helsing, the flower was the final straw for Carl's sinuses. He immediately began sneezing though he did manage to turn away before showering the hapless Hunter. Poor Carl was practically doubled over as he was undone by the floral overload. Van Helsing looked for a moment in total horror and then got up and grabbed the bottle of wine from the table. He didn't bother with the glass anymore and just drank straight from the bottle.

Eventually Carl was able to get himself under control again though he had to repeatedly wipe his streaming eyes. He looked over at Van Helsing who was sunk low in his chair and drinking from the bottle. He was the picture of misery.

Carl looked at the Hunter and felt his heart swell with pity. The man had clearly tried so hard and now looked like he wanted to jump off a bridge. Carl had never wanted to make him this miserable. Moving towards Van Helsing's chair, he knelt down beside him and gently touched his arm. Van Helsing looked at Carl, clearly expecting the worse. He was confused to see a sweet, affectionate smile on Carl's face.

"You put an awful lot of effort into tonight. I'm really very impressed" Van Helsing looked at him skeptically. "Really? Because most of the time you looked like you were a bit put off by it all" Carl bit his lip and debated about how honest to be. Deciding to err on the side of tactfulness he said "Well, the décor is a little over the top but it does show that you care and that's the important part" Van Helsing looked at Carl and said "How over the top?" Again, Carl debated with himself and decided to be totally honest. "Well, you might have done better to stick with only one type of flower and maybe a lot less of them. And the idea of candlelight is to create a nice soft glow whereas you've got so many I could work in here. Oh, and lose the red satin – its just tacky" Van Helsing glowered a bit and said "I told them it was too much but they didn't listen"

Carl felt a sense of dread come over him. "Told WHO it was too much?" he said in a slow, controlled voice. Van Helsing realized he had just shared too much information and tried to go for damage control. "I may have asked for some advice as to one or two points of the evening… " he trailed off when he saw the look of horror on Carl's face. "You went to my co-workers and asked for advice??" Carl's voice took on a slightly shrill quality that caused Van Helsing to wince. "I can't believe you discussed our personal life with the rest of the Order" Carl sank into his chair and covered his face with his hands. He was totally humiliated.

Van Helsing saw Carl's distress and felt horrible. "I'm sorry. I didn't intend to embarrass you. It just that I was afraid that if I screwed this up that you'd never speak to me again and I just couldn't face that." Van Helsing knelt in front of Carl and took his hands in his own. "You are the only thing in my life that really matters and without you, I'm incomplete. I'd do anything for you"

Carl raised his head and looked at the man kneeling before him. He had tears in his eyes. "Now THAT is romantic" and he leaned forward and kissed Van Helsing. Van Helsing froze a moment in shock and then began to enthusiastically kiss him back. When they finally had to break for air, Van Helsing leaned his forehead against Carl's and said "does this we're back together?"

Carl smiled and said "only if you get rid of the damn flowers… "

THE END


End file.
